


East of the Sun, West of the Moon

by MeasureOfMadness



Series: Hlin's Justice [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Norse Religion & Lore, Angst, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 08:56:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7502148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeasureOfMadness/pseuds/MeasureOfMadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life is full of choices. Little crossroads which you may not have even know were there. Tiny decisions to continue down a path you may not have had to. Villains may have become heroes. Heroes may have become villains. But what use is it to look back? To see what might have been? The only truth is where we are now, and sometimes being blind can reveal the best path laid before us. </p><p>In which Tony goes mad, but then he isn't and he might just save someone else on the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	East of the Sun, West of the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Might have seen the promo on tumblr I made a couple of weeks ago and which the awesome frost-iron blog reblogged. Finally got the first chapter written and complete. I've always wanted to do a AU version centered around this folk tale. Frostiron seemed to be perfect to it. I hope my contribution to the wonderful and talented people who still enjoy this ship is welcome. 
> 
> Also I'm not too sure about the timeline after the first avengers movie so I took some liberties which could be inaccurate. If it is I'm sorry.

** Chapter 1 **

 

There had been many times in Tony Stark’s life that he had woken up in an unfamiliar bed. But probably not for the reason most people would think for the playboy billionaire. One night stands he had always taken back to his own place; back to the Egyptian cotton sheets and the miles of mattress that could be used to tumble and roll in a tangle of limbs. It was all part of the Tony Stark experience, and kind of expected in the end; manage to attach yourself to the arm of Tony Stark and get a taste of living life at the very top of the world. And Tony would freely admit he didn’t like to leave the security of his own home, where Jarvis could keep an eye on things and Pepper would get rid of any awkward morning encounters.

Yet as much as he loathed leaving the comfort of his own bed, the security of Jarvis, and the familiarity of routine, he was also the head of Stark Industries. Despite making Pepper CEO, there were still meetings that he had to show face to, foreign hands to shake and public events that needed attended. Strange hotels were required, forcing him into unfamiliar beds, that no matter what price he paid, no matter what demands he made, were never quite the same as the Divan bed in the Stark tower or the platform bed in the Malibu House. They couldn’t even compare to the four poster bed that had supported his dreaming body as a child.

So when consciousness sluggishly poked at him, tugging at his mind until awareness began to take hold, Tony relaxed into his pillow. He was in his bed, dozing awareness of only the scent of his shampoo that had rubbed off on his pillow in the night. He breathed it in as he hugged the cushion closer to his head.

“M’time J?” he asked, voice still muffled by the pillow.

Silence. Well that’s never a good sign. Raising his head from the pillow an inch, Tony blinked an eye open. But for all the good it did he might as well shoved his face back into the pillow and tied a blindfold around his eyes for good measure. Darkness was settled over the room like a thick smothering blanket. Definitely more awake now, Tony sat upright, twisting the sheets around his legs in the process.

“Jarvis?” he tried again.

More silence followed, and the darkness seemed to get more complete, pressing down on him. There was only two times he could remember darkness being this thick and impenetrable. The first he had been around 8 years old, and he had snuck down to his father’s lab trying to find some wires for his newest project. Of course only five minutes into his search and his father’s footsteps had sounded in the hallway outside. Tony had panicked. It had been a good week; a whole seven days that Howard hadn’t yelled at him, not even scowled at him, and Tony hadn’t want to ruin that. So he hid, found the nearest cupboard and tucked himself into the space, bending his body between shelves and bric-a-brac. Hours had past like that, Tony too scared to move, hardly daring to breathe, until the cramp in his legs faded into numbness and it was starting to get harder to ignore the way his eyelids were drooping. He fought against the sleep, watching his father legs move around the lab through the crack in the door. Howard however, eventually finished with whatever invention he was working on, or he just grew too sleepy to continue, and proceeded to shut down the lab, plunging the space into pitch blackness. In the few seconds after the door had clicked shut Tony held himself still, limbs locked and holding his breath. The panic crawled through his body, his will to stay still being eaten away by the imagination of what the sudden darkness could hold. It didn’t matter that he knew it was just his father’s lab. The darkness left too much room for imagination. Tony sprang forward. The cupboard doors slammed open. Sprinting, Tony powered his muscles as fast as he could, leaping up the stairs and pushing through doors, until he finally threw himself onto his bed, heart galloping and breath coming in harsh pants.

He hadn’t gone down to the lab for weeks after that.

The second time echoed of hot sand and cold metal doors slamming in his face. A time where rough scratchy material was pushing against his face, being sucked into his mouth as he tried to breathe in the arid air.

Fuck, Tony thought. He wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t. _Caves and cupboards, trapped limbs and imprisoned minds. A searing pain was blooming in his chest._

Tony shook his head. Kicking his legs, he freed himself from the tangle of sheets and pushed himself away from the confines of his bed. He kept one hand on the mattress however, reminding himself that he was in his own room as he slowly journeyed forward, one step at a time. It may be dark, but he had designed this room, he knew it. He would reach the door, make his way down to the lab, find out what is caused Jarvis to stop responding and then collapse back into bed. Or maybe he would stay in the lab, he was up now, he should be working on re-calibrating that gauntlet anyway. Was that what he was doing before he fell into bed? He couldn't remember, in fact when had he gone to bed? That hadn't happened... in a while. 

His hand was on the corner of the bed now. Taking a deep breath, Tony stretched forward reaching for the dresser he knew should have been within easy reach. His heart gave a painful thud as fingers fell through air.

An amused huff sounded loud in the darkness, but it was quickly cut short. Tony straightened up immediately, his hand fisting into the corner of his bed. He whipped his head in the direction where he was sure he had heard the small noise come from. But like the darkness, now the silence too joined in on the game to keep Tony in the dark. No more sounds came, just the thick pounding of blood in his ears and the rush of breath whispering past his lips.

Who’s there? The words almost fell from his lips. But a brief chuckle made it through instead. Because wouldn’t that be the most horror movie cliché ever. The lone hero in a dark room, hands trembling as he looked around for the killer that prowled silently around the edges of his vision. There would be no answer to the question, just careful footsteps and then a knife plunged into flesh.

With cautious steps, Tony moved himself backwards, still keeping his hands on the bed.

Maybe it was his imagination, bringing to life a world that the darkness kept shrouded but as Tony moved backwards, keeping his breathing as slow as possible as his footsteps quiet, he thought he heard more noises in the gloom. A sweep of fabric whispering against the hard floor, broken sighs as though whatever was making the noises was frustrated but was trying to keep quiet regardless. It made the hairs on the back of Tony’s neck prickle. His back hit a wall. Tony gripped at the solid structure behind him, grateful for the anchor to something real and solid that the loss of sight had taken away from him.

There was another hushed movement, a clink of metal that was quickly stifled. This wasn’t Tony’s imagination; there was definitely someone, or something in the room with him. Unbidden, the Chitauri flooded into his mind, snarling faces and clawed limbs, like the monster from Predator.

“You know these blind dates, not really my thing,” he addressed the room as a whole, swiveling his head and peering into the darkness, hoping there might be something, just a speck of light that he might be able to focus on.

“Seriously-” he started but then suddenly there was something cool and slender sliding across his cheek. Tony froze. He was a kid again; hiding in the cupboard, terrified and frozen in place. His breath stuttered to a stop. His heart pounded painfully against the arc reactor. The arc reactor! Why hadn't he thought of that. He had his own built in nightlight, all he had to do was lift up his t-shirt and instant light. But it was too late now. There were fingers against his face. He wanted to jerk away from the slight pressure but despite their softness, their slim design, their grip was strong. They traveled across his cheek, gliding upwards to his temples. Then they were mirrored on the other side of his face by another set of cold fingers. Tony felt trapped. His breath burst free of him in a spluttering gasp. But before he could wrestle out of the hold there was a flare of something warm and bright, a feeling of a blanket enveloping his head and shoulders, and then more darkness.

***

“Sir….”

“Sir you need to wake up.”

Tony jerked upright, a motion that quickly brought him toppling to the floor. The hard back of the chair dug into his back as it collided with the concrete ground and Tony let out a muffled curse.

“Sir, you told me to give you prior notice if anyone is on their way down to your workshop.” A pause in which Tony mumbled something akin to acknowledgement, or at least the A.I. seemed to take it as such since he continued. “Miss Potts is currently on her way."”

Tony rolled off the chair, groaning and rubbing a hand over his eyes as he did so. Man he felt like utter crap. And it wasn’t even the good and just rewards of drinking too much the night before. “Shit… ah thanks J,” he murmured while setting the chair to rights. Except talking hurt. His mouth felt he had been eating sand, and his head pounded like there was a miniature marching band playing their loudest tune inside of him.

“Sir, she is on the stairs,” Jarvis urged.

“Right yeah.” Tony looked around. The workshop on the best of days was a chaotic mess, but taking in the state it was in right now, it was a wonder Tony had managed to find a flat surface to fall asleep on. Wires laid in tangles on the floor or were found poking out of half-finished gauntlets and braces. Screws and tools were thrown haphazardly upon any available surface or fallen to the ground, and various pieces of the iron man suits were laying in varying stages of completion.

“Yeah,” Tony decided, moving quickly towards the exit. “I think I’ll just meet her in the penthouse. J, tell her I’ll coming up.” There was a brief pause before Jarvis replied. “Done Sir, but she says that if you’re not up in five minutes, she will be coming down here.” Tony smiled. That was why Pepper was awesome. She knew when not to intrude.

“On my way.”

The glass doors to the lab slid open with a hiss, but just before Tony stepped through he paused. “Say J,” he asked with a frown now on his face. “I didn’t….” he hesitated. _Darkness and cool fingers, ghosting across his cheek._ “I was asleep in here the entire time, right?”

“Sir?” Jarvis’s tone rose in question. Tony rubbed a hand over his face again.

“Just humour me J,” he said. “I didn’t like disappear, or I don’t know teleport to my bed somehow right?” The words felt ridiculous leaving his mouth but still… the dream… well felt too real to be a dream.

“I regret to inform you, Sir, that despite your genius you have yet to invent a teleport, conscious or otherwise,” Jarvis sassed. “You fell asleep at 4:26am and it is currently 10:21am. You didn’t leave the workshop at any point during those times.”

Tony sighed in relief. Well that was good right? “Thanks, J.” He at least got six hours sleep, which was more than he had achieved over the past few nights.

“Miss Potts is still waiting, Sir.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m gone.”

He had to take the stairs since the elevator was still out of commission while the workmen were still only in the beginning stages of the renovation. The battle had only really done superficial damage to the tower, unlike the rest of New York where cranes now littered the iconic skyline to rebuild towers that had been toppled to the ground. Tony still had some gala’s to attend to raise funds for restoration and probably would have for the foreseeable future.  
But for now he concentrated on his own tower. The penthouse was already fixed, window replaced and new furniture ordered and delivered. Only the crater in his floor the Hulk had made with a God of Chaos was left. He was still considering leaving that. Maybe just putting some glass over the top to leave it as a memoir to the time Earth beat a God and an alien invasion.  
Now all that was left was the lower floors. Tony was still toying with the idea of moving the Avengers into the tower, giving them all their own floors. Bruce had all but moved in and Fury was making some noise on wanting it to become the Avengers tower and perhaps that was why Tony hadn’t gone and asked the rest of the gang already, not willing to give in to the satisfaction he would see on Fury’s face.  
Pepper had smiled when he had run the idea past her though. Maybe he should just bite the bullet and ask.

Said woman wasn’t smiling now however. Tony stopped in his tracks as he leapt up the final few steps and was confronted with a scowling Pepper.

“What have I done now?” he asked. His steps were more subdued as he walked further into the room. His hands suddenly itched to be filled with a glass of scotch, but knowing that the glass would probably get taken out of his hand and thrown at his head made his feet stay on the path to Pepper instead of straying to the bar.

Pepper seemed to deflate a little at his words. Her face softened, though her lips were still down turned at the ends.

“It’s what you’re not doing, Tony,” she said. He was standing right in front of her now and she reached out a hand to caress his cheek. _Cool fingers, strong, slender and soft._ He pulled away. Pepper’s hand dropped to her side.

“Jarvis said you’ve had a total of ten hours sleep over the last four days,” she reprimanded, her tone still gentle. Tony almost wished it wasn’t. He could deal with shouting, he could shout back. This soft caring tone had him feeling small, and he hated feeling small. He sent a glare towards one of Jarvis’s cameras. “Traitor,” he whispered. He should look over Jarvis’s code this afternoon. Surely there was a way to make an A.I. he had built less traitorous to its creator. But for now he still had Pepper to appease.

He shrugged, heading over to the bar despite the consequences that could come. His mouth was still dry and scratchy from sleep. He needed a drink.

“Had stuff to do. The mark seven really took a battering after the battle,” he answered. “I want to get it sorted, just in case.” It wasn’t a lie, he told himself as he poured a couple of fingers of scotch into a glass. Well maybe a small one. He had already fixed the mark seven, even improved on it a little and was currently working on the mark ten, but Pepper didn’t need to know that. Nor of the plans he had of the next three models either.

Pepper sighed, and walked over to the bar. Her eyes lingered on the scotch in Tony’s hand and her lips thinned slightly but she didn’t say anything. Tony took a swig.

“The world will keep for a few hours, Tony,” Pepper said. “You don’t need to be on high alert all the time.”

Tony looked at Pepper over the top of his glass. She really was beautiful. Strawberry blonde hair pulled back into an immaculate bun, with a few strands left to frame her face and blue eyes looking at him with a soft kindness that he knew he didn’t deserve. Her outfit was perfectly put together also, the creamy white colour setting off her tan and accentuating her excellent figure. It was times like this that he couldn’t believe she could stand him, let alone care enough to be with him. How could such a perfect human being love a man, a mess such as himself?

“I love you,” he said. Fear was a burning poison in his stomach. The black void of space was in front of his eyes, an expanse of darkness dotted with distant lights and expanding forever onwards, into an abyss that held who knows what.

“Tony?”

Tony came back with a shake of his head. He smiled at Pepper who was looking at him with a frown that curved upwards as she answered his smile.

“I’ll come to bed tonight,” he promised. Pepper’s responding smile was blinding and it poured ice cold guilt into Tony’s veins. Swallowing down the sudden rush of remorse, Tony moved around the bar, depositing his glass onto the surface so he could slip his hands around Pepper’s waist.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured and dropped his head onto her shoulder. She smelled of a new perfume, something that hinted of spice and warm crackling logs in a fire. It wasn’t her usual scent. Tony could have picked that one out even if there had been a dozen people in the room. That one had spoken of sweetness, of honeyed memories about awkward first kisses leading into celebration kisses on top of a building. Now though the perfume had changed, and Tony couldn’t even say if the change had been a recent thing.

“I miss you.” Pepper seemed to take the words right out of his mind. Her own arms stroke around his sides to wrap around him, and it was like she held him together; stitched him up a little more. Maybe not fixing him but pulling him upright just a bit so he could face the world again. The dream seemed a distant memory now and the void of space just another dark night. It was daybreak now leaving the night a long time away, easily forgotten.

“Miss you too Pep,” he plastered his trademark grin onto his face as he disentangled himself from Pepper. “How about dinner tonight?” he asked. “Anywhere, your choice… oh and I’ll give Happy a call. Jarv?”

“Yes, Sir?”

Tony bounded away, long strides covering the distance between bar and window in a few seconds. New York spread out before him, a concrete jungle of greys and blacks with the occasional glass blinking in the sunlight.

“J, tell Happy that he’s to pick her up and take her to any shop she wants. Oh and a spa. She deserves a spa day.” Tony turned back to Pepper with a spin of his heel.

“Done, Sir.”

“Thanks, J.” He smiled over to Pepper who was looking at him with a look Tony had quickly grown to adore. Fond exasperation never looked so good on anyone. “You’ve got my credit card right?”

“Tony,” Pepper said trying to sound stern but Tony could hear the chuckle that wanted to burst free from behind it. “You do know I have a company to run. Your company? I can’t just take time off to go on shopping trips and spa days.”

Tony waved his hand to bat away her words. “Yes you can, that’s why you’re CEO. The company will survive for one day. I’m sure the Board needs some actual experience in running the place without you to fall back on.”

That did the trick. Laughter bubbled out of Pepper and her eyes were alight with amusement. It made Tony’s grin widen.

“Alright,” Pepper said after her giggles had subsided. “But only if you sign the paper work.” She gestured over to the breakfast bar and an awaiting pile of paper that Tony had missed. He groaned.

“You are an evil woman.” Tony glared at the paperwork, wondering if he would be able to get away with using it for target practice for the Mark X. “Crafty, manipulative woman,” he muttered.

Pepper shrugged. “One has to come up with imaginative ways to get you to do your paperwork,” she said.

“Miss Potts, Happy awaits your arrival,” Jarvis chimed in from the ceiling.

“Thank-you Jarvis,” Pepper said. Tony watched her walk over to him from the corner of his eye. He was still glaring at the paper.

“If you burn it, I’ll just double the amount you have to sign,” she said, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Then she was gone, leaving behind only the lingering scent of warm spice and an engineer with a growing sense of dread.

“J?” Tony asked, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Any chance I could abolish paperwork from the company completely.”

“That would be highly impractical, Sir.”

“Thought you would say that,” Tony muttered in reply. He started taking slow steps towards the pile of papers, eyeing them warily. He never thought he would wish for another villain to pop up and start attacking New York, but right now anything sounded like a better prospect than hours of boredom spent signing his name a couple hundred times.

It only took a couple of hours. It wasn’t so bad. Jarvis put on some music and Bruce came up from his guest floor that had been the first to be completed to a liveable state. There was still some work to be done to it, comfort features and personal touches to add, but it had a bed and a fully stocked kitchen.  
He and Bruce had talked science for some time, Bruce telling him about his latest research and Tony able to get his itchy fingers to continue scratching out his name instead of wanting to tinker with tools and wires. Pepper called briefly to tell him she was getting on great and was enjoying her day of relaxation. Tony felt good, like he could manage. He had three new suits prepared and ready to go, each with their own unique function. Surely that would be enough to cover just about any threat that the world or the universe could throw at him.

But then of course, it had to go to shit.

Bruce had disappeared back off down to his room, saying something about needing to use the internet for something. Tony had offered him a StarkPad, but Bruce had said his computer was just fine. But now Tony wished Bruce was still up here as there was a flash of light, a clap of thunder and a few minutes later Tony was left standing by the coffee pot, about to take a sip of his fourth, could be fifth beverage, staring at a flustered looking Thunder God, who had just arrived from the stairs. Where the Thunderer had landed, Tony couldn’t guess, but it looked like the blonde had the actual foresight to come into the tower through a normal method, not simply crash landing and barging his way through a window or something like Tony would expect of him.

“Hey Point Break,” Tony greeted, raising his mug in welcome. “Thought you’d be gone for a while, you know over seeing little bro’s trial.”

Thor flinched and Tony didn’t have to be genius to figure out what that look meant; nor the fact that Thor wouldn’t meet his eyes. The burning fear was back, though only a trickle pooling into the bottom of Tony’s stomach at the moment.

“Man of Iron,” Thor replied although he still wouldn’t meet Tony’s eyes. “Where are the rest of the Team?”

Tony shrugged. The trickle became a stream. He was sure Cap was out doing some goodie two shoe deed like helping old woman cross the street and kissing babies and who knows what the Shield twins were up to. “Not here,” he answered simply. He wasn't going to disturb Bruce, not when it seemed like big bro had news about little bro. 

Thor seemed to deflate at his words. His eyes flickered around the room, looking everywhere but at Tony. “Maybe I should wait until the team is assembled. I bring news that will affect all of them.”

“I can pass the message on,” Tony injected quickly. He wanted to get down to his lab. He shouldn’t have taken the morning off, he should be working.

“I…” Thor hesitated and then walked forward, slumping into the sofa nearest to the window. “Perhaps you’re right.” Thor ran a hand over his face and Tony took in how tired the God looked. He was wearing full armour, but the metal was dented and scratched, there was even a stain near the corner where the armour looked as though it had been melted. But more than that was Thor’s face that showed the sign of trials and weariness. There were lines appearing on his forehead, could Gods get wrinkles? Thor seemed to have acquired some in the month since Tony last saw him; spreading out from the corner of his eyes and turning down the corner of his lips.

Tony sighed. “What’s happened? Bro make a jail break?”

He could tell he had hit the nail on the head by the way Thor’s head snapped up and he finally stared at Tony fully. There was wariness in his eyes, hidden behind a look of surprise. But then he dropped his head down again. His hands came up to meet it half way and now Tony had a God of Thunder sitting on his couch, head cradled in hands and looking like someone had just stolen his puppy. Tony resisted the urge to groan. There was a sinking weight in his stomach, a ball of lead weighing him down. He took another sip of his coffee. It burnt as it slid down but it provided a jolt of focus that Tony sorely needed.

“Will he head back here? Want revenge?”

Thor shook his head. “I do not know… it is a possibility.” There was a silence following Thor’s words that Tony took to try and scramble his thoughts together. His eyes flickered over to the crater, where Loki had pulled himself out of only hours after taking a battering from the Hulk. Loki, blue eyes burning with manic energy, fingertips sparking with green magic, was free. Except weren’t his eyes actually green?

_There a dark alley, grime on bricks and rubbish strewed across the ground. A boy spoke, green eyes fixed upon his. Not now, a voice whispered, soft and caressing inside his head._

Tony pushed that thought away. Loki was loose, a God that could take a beating from the Hulk and walk away, a being that had destroyed half a city before they could stop him.

“I thought I should inform you,” Thor was saying. “To prepare you.”

This time Tony did allow his groan free. He ran his hand through his hair again; by now it should be standing on end. He placed his coffee mug on the table top. “Yeah thanks big guy,” he said with only a little hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Jarvis?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“Inform the Avengers. If Captain wants a meeting I’ll be there but for now, I’ve got work to do. Prep the lab.”

“Very good, Sir.” If Jarvis sounded worried, Tony put it down to him projecting his emotions onto the A.I.

Tony paused as he passed by Thor on the sofa. The God still had his head in his hands. Tentatively, Tony placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “The tower’s not ready for you to stay here Point Break,” he said. “Maybe check in on your girlfriend, what’s her name? Jane?” Pepper he needed to call Pepper, get her back to the tower. They could order dinner in. Tony’s hand slid from Thor’s shoulder.

“Jane?” Thor said. He raised his head, letting Tony see that bone tired face again. “You speak wisely friend. I will go see Jane.”

“Sir if I may. I can contact Miss Foster. To help put your mind at ease?” Jarvis spoke up. But Thor shook his head.

“You have my thanks…?”

“Jarvis,” Tony supplied.

“Jarvis,” Thor echoed, rolling the word on his tongue like he was tasting something new and didn’t know whether he liked it or not. “Thank-you but it will take but a moment to travel to her.”

“I’ll contact you if we see anything.” Tony says before he slips out of the penthouse, onto the stairs. “Jarvis?”

“I have already sent a message to Miss Potts, Sir. She should arrive within the hour.” Jarvis replies promptly.

What was Tony thinking about changing Jarvis’s code? Jarvis was awesome just the way he was.

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta'ed, although I have edited it like a thousand times I still can't catch all mistake :( If anyone is interested in betaring though, give me a message. Other than that, hope you enjoyed the first chapter.


End file.
